1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bristle for a broom and method of making the bristle. More specifically, this invention relates to a bristle for use in a railroad bed or track.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of bristles for a broom machine adapted for cleaning a railway road bed or track is well known to the art. Generally, such bristles are mounted on a rotary sweeping element and are commonly used for sweeping ballast and other debris along the railway track.
The ballast is usually a thick layer of crushed limestone which is placed between and along side of the rails. Preferably, the top service of the ballast should be level with or slightly below the railway ties. Unfortunately, when new ballast is dumped onto a railway roadbed, the ballast is not properly and evenly distributed. There may be spaces between rails which are not properly filled in with ballast. Additionally, the rails, which should be free of loose ballast, may be at least partially covered by ballast.
In order to evenly distribute the ballast and clear ballast from the tops of the railway ties, it is known to use rotary sweeping cores. However, because of the extremely harsh wear on the bristles commonly mounted, to such cores, the bristles are subject to breakage if they do not yeild properly. Additionally, as will be readily appreciated, the limestone or similar ballast will cause an extreme amount of wear on the bristle elements.
Among prior art Patents, my previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,232, issued on Mar. 1, 1966, discloses the use of hollow, resilient tube-like bristles on a rotary sweeper core. The generally hollow bristle element is mounted to a rotary sweeping core by an elongate stiffner element extending into the interior of the bristle.
The patent to Kershaw et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,984, issued on Mar. 21, 1972, discloses a bristle element having a core made of a bundle of parallel straight springsteel spines or wires incased in a resilent sheath.
The Price U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,223, issued on Jan. 22, 1980, discloses a sweeper bristle element having a knob at one end. Additionally, a nylon or similar reinforcing material reinforces the solid elastomeric stem to which the knob is attached.
Although the prior art bristles have been generally useful, they have been subject to a number of significant disadvantages. Specifically, the longer lasting of the prior art bristles have often been complex in construction and expensive to manufacture. Those prior art bristles which may be made inexpensively and efficiently are generally prone to wearing out and/or breaking.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a railway roadbed bristle which is simple in construction.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a railway roadbed bristle of elastomeric material and configured to minimize the risk of breakage.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a railway roadbed bristle designed to accomodate a great deal of use before wearing out.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for making railway roadbed bristles which is inexpensive, and efficient.